Gran Paradiso and Mont Blanc
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at the group's chalet accommodation in Argentiere in the Chamonix Valley. KE group packages services begin with dinner and overnight at the chalet.
Day 2: We take the early morning cable car from Chamonix up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). We make a traverse of the Vallee Blanche to reach the Helbronner Gondola Station on the Italian border (the highest border station in Europe). We return via the spectacularly scenic gondola to the Aguille du Midi and take the cable car back down to Chamonix. Overnight in Argentiere.
Day 3: Today we will drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel and have lunch at the Albergo Paradiso. In the afternoon we make the steep, 2 to 3-hour ascent to the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele (2735m). This large, lively hut is friendly and well organised, with good food, coffee and wine.
Day 4: An early start for the classic easy snow climb and rocky scramble to the summit of the Gran Paradiso (4061m). Descend to the Rifugio Federico Chabod, below the north face.
Day 5: We walk out via the Traverse de Gran Neyron and the Val del Leviona to Valsavarenche. Return transfer to our chalet in Argentiere in the Chamonix Valley.
Day 6: A cable car and then a train takes us up to the Nid d'Aigle (2372m). From here, we follow a rocky trail for approximately 2 hours to the Tete Rousse Hut (3167m). Overnight in the hut.
Day 7: It will take approximately 6 hours of climbing to reach the summit of Mont Blanc. After an initial section on a winding path over the rock buttress below the Gouter Refuge, the rest of the ascent is on reasonable angled snow slopes. The final summit ridge is steeper and more exposed. We return by the same route as far as the Gouter Refuge.
Day 8: This is a contingency day in case of bad weather. If the weather on the previous day was not good enough for a summit attempt, the group will have moved up to the Gouter Refuge and will begin their summit attempt today. After the climb, we descend via the Tete Rousse to Chamonix and have a celebratory evening at the group's chalet.
Day 9: KE group packages services end with breakfast at the hotel.
Altitude
This holiday involves going to high altitude. During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 3500 metres. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude.
